In 2018, the Fondation Louis Vuitton hosted the highly successful "Jean-Michel Basquiat" exhibition, which attracted an estimated 700,000 visitors. From April 5 to August 28, 2023, the Fondation will showcase the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat and his collaboration with Andy Warhol.


Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, OP OP, 1984-1985Collection Bischofberger, Männedorf-Zurich, Suisse©The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York. ©The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by ADAGP, Paris 2023

Between 1984 and 1985, Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-1988) and Andy Warhol (1928-1987) collaborated on approximately 160 paintings, including the largest works of their respective careers, in a series entitled "Ágrave; quatre mains" (Four Hands). Keith Haring (1958-1990), who witnessed their friendship and collaborative work, described it as "a conversation that takes place through painting instead of words," and "the merging of two minds to create a third, distinct and unique mind." "Basquiat x Warhol: Painting 4 Hands," opening at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in spring 2023, will be the most significant exhibition to date dedicated to this extraordinary body of work. Curated by Dieter Buchhart and Anna Karina Hofbauer, with the support of Fondation Louis Vuitton curator Olivier Michelon, the exhibition will bring together more than 100 paintings co-signed by the two artists. The exhibition will also feature individual works alongside those of other major artists, including Keith Haring, Jenny Holzer, and Kenny Scharf, capturing the energy of New York's downtown art scene in the 1980s. The exhibition will also be enriched by the inclusion of photographs, including Michael Halsband's famous "Boxing Gloves" series, created for the poster for the 1985 exhibition "Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol."


Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, Collaboration No. 19, 1984-1985Private collection, IsraelCourtesy Zidoun- Boussuyt Gallery, Luxembourg
© The Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New-York.
©The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Licensed by ADAGP, Paris 2023
The exhibition will open with a series of portraits of Basquiat by Warhol and Basquiat by Warhol. It will then move on to their early collaborative works, which were initiated by the two artists' dealer, Bruno Bischofberger, in his collaboration with Italian artist Francesco Clemente (born 1952). After completing these 15 works with Clemente, Basquiat and Warhol engaged in an almost daily, energetic and collaborative collaboration. The energy and strength of their constant exchange will be the driving force behind this exhibition.

Basquiat admired Warhol as a key figure in the art world, a pioneering elder who pioneered a new language and groundbreaking relationship with pop culture. Similarly, Warhol discovered a renewed interest in painting in Basquiat. Thanks to him, Warhol began to paint by hand on a very large scale. Warhol created a series of works based on newspaper, General Electric, Paramount, and Olympic logos. These works form the core of the exhibition.

"Andy would start a painting, then paint something very obvious on it, or a product logo, and I'd smudge it. Then I'd try to get Andy to do more, to do at least two things," Basquiat explained. "I'd paint first, and then paint like Jean-Michel. I liked the idea of paintings where you couldn't tell who painted what."

Through the exchange of styles and forms between the two artists, the exhibition also addresses important themes, such as the incorporation of the African American community into Warhol's narrative of iconic American industrial products.

© Iwan Baan Fondation Louis Vuitton, 2014




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